Charles Philip, Duke of Södermanland

At the table

Rare Luxuries and Dairy

Honey was the primary sweetener because sugar was too expensive for most, while meat remained a rare luxury for many families. Households often consumed dairy products like curdled milk and butter alongside their grain-based meals.

What people wore

Fines for forbidden luxury church attire

In 17th-century Tallinn, wearing forbidden luxury items like colorful ribbons in church could result in a fine of 20 daler silvermynt.

Getting around

Common travel methods and vehicles

People typically traveled by foot, horseback, or in various horse-drawn vehicles like carts, wagons, and carriages. Water transport on rivers was also commonly used for moving people and goods.

What it cost

Price of shoes around 1600

Around 1600 in Lublin, a pair of ordinary shoes cost between 15 and 80 groszy.

Music

Folk ensembles and long horns

Folk musicians formed small ensembles using native violins, drums, and horns, with some horns reaching up to fifteen feet in length.

Daily life

Cooking and lighting in peasant homes

Cooking was done over open fires using suspended cauldrons or pots with three supporting legs. Tallow candles made from rendered animal fat were a common, cheaper source of light compared to expensive beeswax.